"Every time I come to Africa, I have seen the dynamism of the continent and the aspirations of its people for development," Xi said. "I am very confident in the future of Sino-African relations."

China's President Xi Jinping pledged during a visit to Senegal on Saturday to strengthen economic ties with Africa, a continent already awash with cheap Chinese loans in exchange for minerals and huge construction projects.

"The new constitution authorizes me to do two terms from 2020. I will only make a definitive decision then, based on the situation in Ivory Coast. Stability and peace come before all else, including my principles," he said in an interview with magazine Jeune Afrique.

The second term of Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara should be his last, according to the country's constitution. But Ouattara has dropped hints he might have other plans. Bram Posthumus reports from Abidjan.

The 85-year-old has been head of state since 1982 and his re-election could see him rule well into his 90s.

"His candidacy is one that brings hope, not one that is based on adventure but one that is driven by experience. It will ensure more stability, and more continuity because he is a known quantity," Ngolle told Al Jazeera.

Paul Biya, Cameroon's 85-year-old president, has formally declared that he will run again in the country's upcoming elections, seeking a seventh term.

"Every time I come to Africa, I have seen the dynamism of the continent and the aspirations of its people for development," Xi said. "I am very confident in the future of Sino-African relations."

China's President Xi Jinping pledged during a visit to Senegal on Saturday to strengthen economic ties with Africa, a continent already awash with cheap Chinese loans in exchange for minerals and huge construction projects.

"The new constitution authorizes me to do two terms from 2020. I will only make a definitive decision then, based on the situation in Ivory Coast. Stability and peace come before all else, including my principles," he said in an interview with magazine Jeune Afrique.

The second term of Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara should be his last, according to the country's constitution. But Ouattara has dropped hints he might have other plans. Bram Posthumus reports from Abidjan.

The 85-year-old has been head of state since 1982 and his re-election could see him rule well into his 90s.

"His candidacy is one that brings hope, not one that is based on adventure but one that is driven by experience. It will ensure more stability, and more continuity because he is a known quantity," Ngolle told Al Jazeera.

Paul Biya, Cameroon's 85-year-old president, has formally declared that he will run again in the country's upcoming elections, seeking a seventh term.

Bergstresser thinks that the Plateau State violence is highlighting the weaknesses in the federal political leadership. "President Buhari is weak in making decisions and weak in understanding the dynamics on the ground."

In the latest round of violence in Nigeria, at least 86 people lost their lives. The cycle of revenge, conflict and killing is not new, so how can such deeply rooted and complicated problems be solved?

Addressing the country minutes after he was hurried to safety, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed initially said "a few people" had been killed, but his chief of staff Fitsum Arega later reported that no one had died and that at least 83 people were injured.

An explosion injured scores attending a rally for Ethiopia's reformist new prime minister on Saturday, shortly after he spoke and was waving to the crowd that had turned out in numbers unseen in recent years in the East African nation.

An explosion rocked a stadium where Zimbabwe's president was addressing a campaign rally on Saturday, state media reported, saying he was not hurt and was evacuated from the scene. Witnesses said several people appeared to be injured.

A health worker attends to a girl at the medical centre of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) where people infected with the Ebola virus are treated in Monrovia, on September 26, 2014. AFP photo

"There was this older colleague, who actually moved a woman into the (charity) compound. It was pretty obvious that she was a prostitute but he'd call her his girlfriend," she said.

Some senior staff working for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Africa have allegedly used "very young" local prostitutes, the BBC reported on Thursday, citing former staff members of the renowned charity.

Soldiers from the Mozambique army on patrol after an attack by suspected islamists late last year.

Papa has been a leader in the Private Equity landscape for three decades

Private Equity Africa (PEA) awarded Papa Ndiaye, CEO of AFIG Funds (http://www.AFIGfunds.com), the 2018 Outstanding Leadership Award at a ceremony held in London Tuesday night. PEA is the pre-eminent magazine on Private Equity in Africa. It is in recognition of PE professionals who have helped shape the industry.

African Innovators’ Closing Call to Action from Africa Innovation Summit 2018: “Africans Must Throw Out the Boxes that Have Caged Them.”

AIS 2018 focused on innovative and disruptive solutions to the major challenges facing African countries, which include energy access, water, food insecurity, health systems, and governance

The Africa Innovation Summit (AIS) closed on Friday with a resonating call to action addressed to innovators, government leaders, private sector, civil society and academia: “Let us throw out the boxes that have caged us”. The overwhelming view of the Summit was that in order to nurture, empower and propel African innovators and their solutions forward, a multi-sectorial and multi-stakeholder approach must be taken to ensure policies, investments and enabling ecosystems are put in place to support African innovation without apology or hesitation.

Describing himself as "Guide" of the ruling CNDD-FDD party and referring to himself in the third person, the 54-year-old president said he would not seek re-election at the end of his current, controversial third term.

In a surprise move, Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza said Thursday he would step down in 2020, despite widespread belief that he backed a new constitution extending term limits in a bid to cling to power.

Last week's referendum in Burundi asked voters to say "yes" or "no" to amendments extending the presidential term from five to seven years and allowing Nkurunziza to seek two more terms beginning in 2020.

Burundians overwhelmingly voted for constitutional reforms bolstering President Pierre Nkurunziza's powers and giving him the option to stay in office until 2034, official results showed Monday.

The ever improving feature set of the truly revolutionary Ecobank Mobile App, which has now been downloaded by more than 5 million people, took the prize for Innovation in Banking

Ecobank has won two major awards at the African Banker’s prestigious ceremony held at the Paradise Hotel in Busan, South Korea. The bank was named Best Retail Bank in Africa after impressing judges with the strides it has made to leverage digital financial services and an enhanced service model, to be the retail bank of choice.

The president later tweeted: "With Mr Gassama who saved the life of a child after scaling four floors with his bare hands. I told him that in recognition of this act of heroism he would be regularized as soon as possible and that the Paris fire brigade were ready to welcome him."

A Malian migrant, hailed as a hero after mounting a daring rescue to save a small boy dangling from a balcony in Paris, is to be made a French citizen.